Sunday, December 27, 2009

For Christmas dinner this year we had leg of lamb. But this wasn't just any leg of lamb. This wasn't bought at the store, or even at the butcher or even at the farmer's market. This was one of the legs from the lamb that my sister-in-law and I were splitting that we bought from a farmer on Washington Island,WI where our in-laws live. I've seen the pastures this little lamb grazed on. It was one lucky lamb. Until we ate it. But it was darn good. I still have a freezer full of lamb to look for recipes for, but here's what we've done so far.

For christmas dinner we followed my grandmother's tried and true recipe. Nothing could be tastier or easier.

Roast leg of lamb

1 leg of lamb (ours was about 9 lbs)

15 garlic cloves, sliced into thick slices (more or less to taste)

1/2 a lemon, juiced

Worcestershire sauce

powdered ginger

kosher salt

pepper

Preheat over to 350. Place meat in a large roasting pan, preferably on a roasting rack.

Trim extra fat from the leg of lamb. Cut slits in it and stick the garlic slices in the slits.

pour the lemon juice over the meat. Liberally sprinkle with worcestershire sauce, powdered ginger, pepper and extra liberally with salt.

Bake until thermometer reads around 160F, approximately 3.5 hours.

We served ours with caramelized brussel sprouts (garlic, onion and bacon), peas, potatoes (lots of butter), cranberry sauce (sweet and spicy, with lots of horseradish), mint jelly, and light wheat bread shaped into a wreath. Dessert was pecan pie from the Best Recipes cookbook.

This meal fed us for two nights, amazingly. Tonight, Andy made stew from the last of the meat on the bone. After much thought and a bit of recipe research here's what he came up with. It was delicious.

Make lamb stock by placing leg of lamb into a large pot and covering in water (6 quarts or so) and bring it to a boil, then simmering for one hour. YOu should have extra to freeze or use for another meal

strain the stock through a colander, seperating out the meat for the stew, setting aside the broth and throwing away the bones and fatty pieces.

In a separate large, heavy bottomed pot saute the carrot, onion, garlic and squash. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the wine. Add the spices and the lentils and bring to a high simmer.

Using kitchen shears, cut the meat off the bone to get 2-3 cups, if you can.

Add the meat and 6-7 cups of the broth you made.

Cook for 20-30 minutes until all the vegtables and lentils are tender, but not mushy.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

This was an improvised pasta dish which turned out really well. I especially liked the roasted broccoli which gave the whole dish added flavor. The olives and pine nuts were a lucky last minute addition found in the back of the fridge, but ended up being the perfect compliment.

Pasta with Roasted Broccoli, Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta

1 lb bow tie pasta

1 bunch broccoli, split into bite size pieces

Olive oil

1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes, sliced

1/2 c. hot broth or water

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 oz. feta cheese

1 handful fruity green olives, pitted and chopped (optional)

1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted (optional)

salt (kosher, if you have it)

Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 F. and set a pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Put the broccoli on a lipped cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Place in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, stirring half way through, until broccoli is tender and slightly charred.

Once the water boiling, add 1 Tbsp. of salt and add the pasta. Cook until al dente.

place sliced tomatoes in hot liquid for 10 minutes to rehydrate slightly, save liquid to be added to pasta.

When pasta is cooked, drain and leave in a colander while you saute the garlic and 1 Tbsp of olive oil in the pasta pot for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add tomatoes and liquid, broccoli, pasta, olives, pine nuts and feta. cover for a minute or two to let the cheese melt a bit. Mix and serve with Parmesan cheese.